The present disclosure is generally related to wagering games, and more particularly, to wagering games in which player selected symbols are compared to winning symbols for determining a value payout to the player.
Lotteries have been in existence for hundreds of years. In more recent times some governments have legalized and sponsored lotteries. A typical lottery game involves the random or pseudo-random drawing of numbers from a pool of numbers. Usually, the pool of numbers includes integer numbers between 1 and some maximum integer, inclusive (e.g., {1, 2, 3, . . . , 49}, {1, 2, 3, . . . , 80}, etc.). A player may pay to select a set of numbers from the pool.
Then, an organization sponsoring the lottery may randomly or pseudo-randomly select a set of winning numbers from the pool of numbers (a “drawing”). The set of winning numbers may be of the same size or of a different size (e.g., as in keno) as the sets of numbers chosen by players. The set of winning numbers are often selected by physically selecting numbered objects (e.g., numbered balls), or by generating the set of winning numbers using a computer. If the player's set of selected numbers match some or all of the winning numbers, the player may win a value payout. Generally, the more numbers that match, the higher the value payout may be. In some lotteries, the top value payout (the “jackpot”) is awarded when a player's selected numbers match all of the winning numbers.
Some lotteries offer progressive value payouts where, for example, if nobody wins the jackpot associated with a drawing, the jackpot is rolled over to the next drawing. Frequently, the jackpot will build over multiple drawings before it is finally won. This can lead to a jackpot that is an appreciable sum of money, which increases player interest and lottery ticket sales.
These progressive value payout lotteries, however, often suffer from a lack of interest in drawings immediately after a large jackpot payout, because the jackpot immediately following a large jackpot can be much smaller in comparison. Many players do not participate in a lottery until the jackpot reaches a significant level. Thus, lottery ticket sales typically soar while the jackpot is high, and then drop significantly after the high jackpot is won. Lottery ticket sales will again increase once the jackpot begins to reach high levels.
One technique for increasing ticket sales immediately after a large jackpot has been won for a progressive lottery game is to increase the initial jackpot amount as a way to maintain interest in the lottery. If the jackpot is won on an initial drawing, however, this may result in a jackpot payout that exceeds the revenue of ticket sales for the drawing.
In addition to progressive lottery games, many organizations provide lottery games with fixed pay tables that offer smaller payouts as compared with progressive lottery games. Because of their smaller payouts, these non-progressive lottery games typically generate less player interest and have a smaller customer base as compared to progressive lottery games.